Innovative Approaches to Wildlife/Highway Interactions

1. Innovative Approaches to Wildlife/Highway Interactions The “Seven Dwarfs”

2. The “Seven Dwarfs” • Often overlooked highway project planning elements • May be outside ROW, so may be missed in NEPA • Elements require analysis, clearance, documentation, permits • Don’t delay consideration

3. The “Seven Dwarfs” • Borrow and Waste Sites/Material Balance • Contractor’s Staging Areas • Water for Construction • Access for Construction or Geotechnical Investigation

4. The “Seven Dwarfs” • Utility Placement or Replacement • Mitigation Projects • Impact of Outside Agencies and Direction

5. 1. Borrow and Waste Sites • Material balance to handle large volumes of moved earth • Requires temporary or permanent storage location • NEPA analysis needs to include impacts to sites

7. 2. Contractor’s Staging Areas-Issues • Large equipment needed for construction • May be large numbers of vehicles • Supplies may include trailers, culverts, gravel, construction materials • Need large areas of flat ground

9. 2. Contractor’s Staging Areas-Things to Remember • Carefully choose and analyze staging area • Avoid placing adjacent to important wildlife areas • Have appropriate clearances • Include restoration plan

13. 3. Water for Construction-Issues • Construction requires huge volumes of water • Up to 6 million gallons/day • Surface water can be readily depleted • Aquatic resources impacted

15. 3. Water for Construction- Things to Remember • Carefully analyze withdrawal sites • Define and enforce maximum daily and seasonal withdrawal limits • Consider seasons of use and any seasonal impact on fish and wildlife • Place limited operating season on withdrawal site if necessary

16. 4. Access for Construction or Geotechnical Investigation • May need to access future highway location with a temporary road • May be far different from future alignment • May be outside ROW • Detours may affect many acres if speed is retained

18. 4. Access for Construction or Geotechnical Investigation • Don’t leave access roads out of NEPA investigation • Early consideration avoids construction delays • Determine mitigation for access roads when no longer needed (gates, removal) • Install barriers when open to restrict public access • Remember seasonal timing restrictions for sensitive wildlife areas

19. 5. Utilities-Issues • Frequently co-located with highway • New placement may require different routings for each utility • Often located outside ROW • Clearances often needed for pole placement • Several companies may be involved

20. 5. Utilities-- Things to Remember • Realignment offers chance to reassess • Consider underground utility placement • Determine responsibility and level of maintenance for any closed roads • Don’t forget to include all utilities in decisions

21. 6. Mitigation Projects-Issues • Mitigation also requires NEPA analysis and clearances • May be far outside ROW • Usually interagency, long-term agreements • May not be completely funded from highway project • Monitoring is strongly recommended

23. 6. Mitigation-Things to Remember • Determine who is responsible for planning, funding and implementation • Document in MOU (this helps in case of changes in personnel too) • Develop monitoring plan prior to issuance of Letter of Consent

25. 7. Impact of Outside AgenciesIssues • Failure to plan for and obtain necessary permits causes project delays • Consider all regulations, permits needed, FWS consultation requirements • State DOT and FHWA interpret NEPA differently, particularly on timing • Rapid pace can allow details to ‘fall through the cracks’

26. 7. Impact of Outside AgenciesThings to Remember • It is Forest Service’s responsibility to ensure all applicable laws, regulation and policy are followed • Involve necessary specialists by informing them of projects early and often • Do not issue Letter of Consent without ensuring MOU enforcement of applicable environmental laws is followed